The Strongest Bond
by AnimeIsMYMuse
Summary: Starting off at Erza's funeral from episode 41, it goes from there. Erza slowly finds she can resurrect due to a strong bond with a certain fire wizard. And if she does, what are the consequences of it, and will the others believe what happened? Will a certain swords master and dragon slayer admit love? Or will Jellal come back to haunt them? CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISIZM


Natza Fanfiction -

_Italics are thoughts, usually Erza's, but it will be obvious who's if it isn't Erza'_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of it's characters, because if I did, Natza would have already happened!**

_**I appreciate constructive criticism. I respect other ships, but if you have an issue with Natza, leave this fanfiction and stop reading it. I won't listen to complaints about my ships, just don't read if you don't like them.**_

_**WARNING: First chap is cheesy, it will get more Fairy Tail like next chapter!**_

_**This story starts off at the beginning of Episode 41 and branches off from there.**_

_**One last thing :3 I don't want any religion biased readers, so the gods and heavens in this story are made up by me, so it doesn't follow the bible or any other existent religions so nobody is offended. Although characters still exclaim "Oh my god!" :P The terms 'heaven' and 'hell' may be used, and it is slightly based on different religions, as well as my own imagination so please don't get upset.**_

Chapter 1: Dead

The rain poured from the sky, as if the heavens themselves weep. All of Fairy Tail had gathered in the rain around a grave, with heavy hearts, tears, and grief. The tears pour as much as the rain. Makarov started speaking, a choke in his voice, head bowed.

"Erza Scarlet touched many lives in this world, with a heart as huge and boundless as the sky above. Her noble sword shone vibrantly as she protected those she dearly loved. She moved with the grace of a fluttering fairy, and her exquisite beauty rivaled that of mother nature herself. It's a painful reminder that love can give you strength, but losing love can render you powerless... We'll miss her... Our Fairy Tail family will never be the same," Makarov finished, a sob in his voice.

"Master… Erza whispered with sadness. _I'm sorry Master Makarov…_ Her eyes watched Makarov with regret in her eyes. The wizard council walked towards the grave of Erza Scarlet, with all but one hooded in a robe. The unhooded one, an old man with a beard, spoke.

"In the wake of this tragedy, we have been left with two empty seats on the magic council. We have unanimously voted to award one of those seats to her posthumously. I am proud to declare Miss Erza Scarlet an eternal member of the ten wizard saints," said the council member. The Fairy Tail guild looked at him, with no joy in their eyes. What good would that do, awarding a title to one who has passed from this life. Suddenly, a heavy step and loud yell was heard.

"I've had enough!" said a spiky, pinked haired wizard. Gray, Lucy, and the rest of Fairy Tail turned to the voice to see Natsu, anger in his eyes. He was tense, and his eyes burned in the rain.

"I can't just stand back, and watch you go through with this!" he declared, teeth clenched tight.

"Natsu…"gasped Erza, as she watched him storm up to her grave. Natsu jumped up and kicked the bouquet of flowers that were on her grave, prompting the members of Fairy Tail's outrage.

"Just what do you think you're doing, young man?" yelled Makarov. Lucy called for Natsu to calm down.

"How dare you!" Gray yelled and ran at Natsu. Natsu whipped around with a glare on his face. Almost a wild look that nobody had seen before.

"We all know Erza isn't dead!" he responded. Lucy buried her face in her hands and spoke with an obvious sob.

"This is already hard enough! Please stop!" she cried holding her head. Gray and a few others ran towards him.

"There's no way that she could be!" cried Natsu, almost to the sky, rather than the guild. He was tacked down by Gray, and held down.

"Why can't you face the truth, Natsu? She's gone!" Lucy screamed. Still pinned down, Natsu still held anger on his face, but his sadness and despair were obvious.

"Let go of me! I know Erza is still alive!" he cried in a loud anguished yell. Unknown to the Guild, Erza was there, with them, her spirit watching them with regret.

_I sacrificed myself, because I thought it would make the future better for them… But that's not the case…_

She watched as the whole Guild broke down into sobs, holding one another, and crying. Even Happy sobbed uncontrollably. Gray held Lucy, but one stood out more than the others. Natsu was screaming to the heavens with so much pain and despair that Erza began to cry.

_I never thought things would turn out this way. I wanted to save them, so that they could go on living happily. I never meant to hurt them like this… Natsu… I'm so sorry I left you. I should have saved us all without dieing. Forgive me, Natsu… _Erza thought, as tears began to fall from her left eye. She saw nothing but a light so bright it blinded her of any other images. All she saw was light…

"Erza Scarlet. Welcome, brave wizard," spoke a soft gentle voice. Erza opened her eyes to see an old woman with a kind face.

"W-What is this place?" muttered Erza, as she tried to sit up, only to realize she couldn't move. She was lying on a soft cloud, and the old woman sat next to her.

"The entrance to where you should go, known as Heaven to humans," said the woman, a soft smile on her face.

"What am I doing here?" asked Erza causing the woman's eyes to sadden. She spoke quiet and soft in a sad voice.

"You cannot pass on. Your heart is full of regret and sadness. All spirits have some regret and sadness, but yours is overwhelming," she said to Erza. Erza's eyes widened.

"What do I do? How long have I been..." responded Erza trailing off her sentence. The lady sighed. She stood up, and suddenly, Erza realized that she herself was standing. _Strange… I don't remember standing up…_

"It has been a year. Your spirit has been trapped, so we are giving you something that most do not get. You have to watch over the sadness causer in your heart until you are at peace. You have free will so I will only give you one hint - Your heart and his are connected to a bond that is unbreakable by any force. Do not count yourself dead yet, Erza. I will send you to the cause of your regret… Good luck, Queen of Fairies…" the old woman said as she began to fade. _His?_ Erza wondered until Erza felt her eyes see nothing but light once more. When it cleared she found herself standing in Natsu' room. The clock read 4:am, and Natsu was asleep. She smiled when she saw him. _Natsu is the cause of my regret? I… does that mean…_ Erza walked up to Natsu, sat on the side of his bed. The bed didn't move from her contact, reminding Erza that she was indeed in a different world.

"NO ERZA!" Natsu screamed suddenly, causing Erza to jump. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" he cried. Erza looked at him and realized he was still asleep, just in a nightmare.

"Natsu, don't cry…" she said, wondering if he could hear him. Natsu continued to thrash around in his covers, until tears began leaking from his closed eyes. Natsu kicked off his covers in his sleep, and Erza watched feeling more and more sadness. She placed her hand on his, and was surprised that she could touch his hand. Instantly, Natsu calmed and fell back to a peaceful sleep. The old woman's voice spoke in her head.

"Your bond has grown stronger. You have realized your feelings for him. As it grows, your spirit will slowly fall back to earth. The heavens have given you this chance, because this bond is special. Treasure it Erza…" Erza walked to the blanket that Natsu thrashed off, and realized she could pick it up. She placed it over Natsu, and sat by his side for the rest of that night.

When morning arrived, Natsu woke up and got out of bed, his eyes dull. He stood up from his bed, then just fell back onto it, almost lifeless. Erza felt sadness as she watched him lie there from 8:AM until 2:PM, trying to make him get up. When she spoke, he couldn't hear her. The door opened, and a flying cat with wings zoomed into the room.

"NATSUUUU!" cried the cat. Lucy ran in and they saw him lying there. Happy tried to turn Natsu over, but he was turned towards the wall and refusing to move.

"Where have you been? It has been a year! I heard from someone you were back!" cried Lucy. Once again, another figure appeared in the room. Gray. He looked extremely pissed, and ran up to Natsu.

"You think you can just run off like that with no warning and cause us a ton of trouble, mouth breather?" he growled. To their surprise, Natsu still didn't respond. Erza frowned at his unusual behavior. _What do they mean by 'where have you been?' What did he do… _

"I went looking for Erza…" grumbled Natsu, causing Lucy, Happy, and Gray to jump at his sudden voice. Natsu sat up, eyes glaring at the ground as he spoke again.

"She is still alive. I know it. I can feel it that she is alive and out there. I WILL find her!" Natsu said with a soft but cold, serious voice. Erza felt her heart shatter at his words. Gray looked at Natsu like he was crazy, Happy looked confused.

"What do you mean, Natsu?" Lucy questioned softly. Natsu trembled, and Erza walked up and sat next to him, watching him.

"I can feel it. She is close and waiting for us to find her so we HAVE TO!" Natsu said again, only raising his voice at the end.

"Are you crazy or something? Honestl-" he started, only to be stopped by a glare from Lucy. Lucy sat next to Natsu (Erza moved over as she saw Lucy approach).

"Don't listen to Gray. I know what's happening. You are in love with her, aren't you…" she murmured. Natsu didn't respond, but he blushed and looked up at Lucy as the words left her mouth. He immediately averted his gaze. Erza felt her face heat up at Lucy's question.

"C'mon Natsu. The guild will be so excited to see you!" Lucy exclaimed. Natsu looked unenthusiastic, so Erza tried once again to talk to him. _Maybe if I say it and feel it in my heart..._

"You love Fairy Tail… They love you Natsu, go see them. Please, try to be happy without me… If you won't see them for you, do it for me..." she whispered. Natsu looked up, and looked around wildly.

"What?" asked Happy. Gray smirked at how ridiculous Natsu looked.

"N-Nothing. I just heard something. Nevermind. I'll come with you to the guild. I haven't seen them for a while. I'll meet you there in an hour or two!" he let out a grin, like the usual Natsu. Erza smiled, only to be filled again with worry. As soon a Gray, Lucy, and Happy left the room, his expression darkened, and he spoke.

"I heard you Erza… can you… hear me?" he whispered to the room. Erza's heart leaped. She put her heart into her words as she spoke.

"Yes, Natsu, I am here. Please… tell me you can hear me…" she said, a sob catching her voice. Even though it was only an instant, Erza's heart pounded as she waited to see if he would hear her or not.

_**To be continued…**_

_**I apologize, the first chapter has no humour at all, but I promise it will come. Everyone will go back into character, but Natsu went missing and Erza is… passed on so of course they aren't happy go lucky usual. The first chapter goes kind of fast, because the true storyline hasn't really started yet.**_


End file.
